Cash-car arrester



(No Model.

H. THOMAS.

a Sheets-Sheet 1.

CASH CAR ARRBSTER.

I J j J I. i J/ 1 l J 1 A T v5 NJEI'ERS, Phnmmho m her, Wnhinglon. D. C

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.) I

H THOMAS CASH GAB ARRESIBR.

Patented Mar. 6, 1888.

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(No Model.) 3' Sheets-Sheet 3.

H. THOMAS. G'ASH OAR ARRESTER.

Patented Mar. 6, 188.8.

u PETERS, Phdbuthulnphor. Washln tun, ma

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFI E.

HORATIO THOMAS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE BOSTEDO PACKAGE AND CASH CARRIER COMPANY, OF ATLANTIC, IOWA.

CASH-CAR ARRESTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 379.085, dated March 6, 1888.

(No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, HORATIO THOMAS, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Arresters for Cash and Package Carrying Systems; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relatesto an improvement in car'arresters for cash and package carrying apparatus, the object of my present invention being to provide a simple and efficient can arrester which is particularly adapted to suit the construction of the two-track cash and package apparatus that are the inventions of Louis C. Bostedo, filed August 2, 1886, Serial No. 209,781, now Patent No. 369,628, dated September 6, 1887, and Horatio Thomas, filed August 27, 1886, Serial No. 212,010, now Patent No. 368,029, dated August 9, 1887, to render the operation of arresting cars at a station more reliable and afford a more compact de vice with fewer working parts than have been heretofore employed on' two-track systems of the type above mentioned.

WVith these objects in view my invention consists in certain features of construction and combinations of parts, that will be hereinafter shown, and pointed out in the claims.

In the two-track apparatus for cash and package transportation just referred to, one track is placed immediately above the other in the same vertical plane. Stations for clerks to transmit cash and goods from such points to the cashiers desk or a bundle-table are provided alongthese main lines. Openings are made in the tracks at stations, and an elevator is furnished at each station to afi'ord a means for the expeditious raising of the car, with a package-receptacle attached, from the counter to the upper track, which is preferably made a dispatching'traek, while the lower track is the return -way for bundled goods or cash change to be sent from a distant point to any station on the line.

One of the important portions of such an apparatus consists in a device to arrest a car at its proper station and hold it securely upon the elevator of sucha station while the car and attached package-receptacle are lowered to the hand of the clerk or other operator. It is important that this car arresting device should also embody a means for release of the car when it is raised to the upper track at a station to dispatch it. toward the cashiers desk or bu ndle-table, this release being made simultaneous with the propelling action of another portion of the arrester, that stores the momentum of a car that has been previously arrested at the station on the lower track and discharges the stored energy to give a progressive impetus to a car leaving a station, as just indicated.

The cararrester which is the subject of my present invention will perfectly accomplish the work it is designed to perform, and is specially adapted to locations where abrupt curves are required in the tracks to suit peculiarities of the situation.

I will now describe my invention, reference being made to the drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a two-track cash and package transporting apparatus at a station, showing the relative position of the track-section bar of the elevator upon which the car-arrester is located. Fig. 2 shows the front side of the track-section bar at a station, with theimproved arrester in position thereon. Fig. 3 is also a front side view of the track-section bar of an elevator at a station, the canarresterbeingshowninadifi'erentposition. Fig.- 4 is a erosssection of the track-section bar on line 0000, Fig.1, with a carin position on this bar to show the locking-bar of the cararrester in locked engagement with a stud that projects from the side of the car-frame. Fig. 5 is a side view of the car without its pendent package-receptacle. Fig. 6 is a view of the arrester modified in form to suit the last or end station on a track-line.

Reference to Fig. 1 will show the construc tion of the car'elevator A. It is made to slide between the parallel vertical standards A when the cord E is pulled. It is apparent that the elevator may bythis means he brought into a position to cause its traoksection bar B to line with the lower tracks, C, or upper tracks, D. The track-section bar B is affixed securely to the projecting arms a a of the elevator-frame, so as to allow it to align with or liein the same vertical plane as the main tracks 0 and D, and therefore to properly fill a gap that may be made between the track ends of either the upper or lower tracks when the top edges of the bar are level with similar edges of either of the track-lines.

A removable bar, B, occupies the place of the track-section bar B, to render the track continuous when the elevator is notin aligned position therewith. This movable bar B is elevated by contact with projections 2), formed on the elevator-frame in such relative position as to lift the bar B when the elevatorframe A is raised to pass this bar. A removable bar, F, spans the gap in the upper track, D, this bar being hinged at the rear edge of the well-hole frame F. A chain, 8, or other flexible connection is attached by one end to the bar F or one of its supporting-arms s, by which it is pivotally attached to the well-hole frame F. The other end of the chain 8 is at taehed to a wing, s, which is placed upon one of the vertical standards A and made to fit it loosely. The length of the chain sis so proportioned that the contact of the sliding upper portion of the elevator-frame A with the attached ring 8" will stretch the chain and elevate the hinged bar F, to permit the elevator track-section bar B to line with the upper track when a car is to be dispatched from a station to the cashiers stand or the bundletahle, as will be hereinafter explained.

The front face of the track-section bar B is recessed to form a cavity for the reception of the arresting and locking mechanism, which will now be explained. A flat bar, G, is made of proper thickness to lie in the recess of the track-section bar B and have its outer face about level with the flanges g h, that remain on the bar, the lower flange, h, affording a supporting'base upon which the bar G may slide, which I designate as the floor-face of the bar G. The rear end of the bar Ghas an integral extension, 0, formed into a round rod, that gives support to a spiral spring, which bears against the vertical shoulder c of the bar G, as well as the perforated ear 0, that holds the outer end of the rod 0 loosely, to permit said rod to slide in this perforated ear, so that the spiral spring will be compressed if the bar G is moved toward the ear 0. At the opposite end of the bar G the width is reduced from the shoulder z to the termination t" of the bar, and the upper edge is cut to produce ratchet-teeth k, which slope rearwardly to adapt them to engage the tripping-lever I, which is pivoted at f and furnished with the spring at. The latter, by its contact with the upper flange, g, of the trackseetion bar B, will force the inner end of the trippingbar I to bear upon the serrated edge of the portion G and lock with these teeth,so that a sliding movement of the bar G toward the ear 0 will compress the spring 0 and retai n the spring in such a compressed condition.

Upon the exposed face of the ratchet-bar G, just described, a flat locking-bar, H, is pivoted at (Z. This bar H is curved or bent edgewise to cause its ends to drop slightly, and at the forward end a fork or crotch, d, is produced,which is designed to engageaprojecting pin affixed to the side of a car, as shown in Fig. 4. On the opposite end of the lockingbar H a pin, 0, is affixed to project inwardly. The length of this pin is about equal to the thickness of the bar G,to permitit to enter the notch e made in this barG immediately above the pin 6. The flange h-that is, the floor on which the ratchet-bar G slidesis cut away between the points it n to allow the pin a to rise into the notch e, and it is important that the removed portion of the flange It should he so relatively located that the rear end, H, of the locking-bar H may be elevated when the spiral spring 0 is uncompressed, as shown in Fig. 1.

The rear end, H, of the locking-bar H is further provided with a dependinglug having its forward edge out to slope rearwardly and round off at the lowest point, e, thepin a, previously mentioned, being attached to the inner side of the lug. The weight of the rear end of the locking-bar H,eonsidered fromit-s point of pivotal attachment to the ratchet-bar G, is in excess of the weight of its forward end, to cause this latter-named portion of the bar to be normally held with its forked ends in line with or slightly above the lower flange, h, of the track'section bar B, the rear end assuming the position shown in Fig. l.

The transporting-car J (see Fig. 5) has its frame J constructed with guard-pieces 0, that extend a slight clearing distance below the lower edge of the main tracks 0 D when the car is in motion,to retain it in rolling contact therewith and prevent derailment.

In operation the guard ends 0 of the frame of the car will be in alignment with the locking-bar H, so that the depending rear end, H, of this bar will collide with the guard end 0 that is adjacent to it, and this contactof parts will elevate the rear end of theloeking-bar H, causing the front forked end, d, to be depressed; and as it is understood that this contact will take place when the parts are in normal position, as shown in Fig. 1, with the spring 0' uncompressed, it is evident that when the erotehed end d is depressed to engage a projecting pin,p,ofthe car J (which willoccur when a car runs onto the elevator that is aligned with a lower track) the spring 0 will be compressed and held in this condition, and the rearward movement of the ratchet-bar G thus caused will carry the elevated pin e over the flange h or floor of the bar B, thus locking the erotehed end d of bar H in close contact with the engaged pin 12, holding it secure as long as the spring a is compressed. Other devices not necessary to describein this connection are attached to the opposite side of the elevator is raised to the upper track, D, and when the top edge of the track-section bar Bis about in a line with top edge of-the upper track the free end 1 of the tripping-lever I will be depressed sufficiently to release contact of its opposite end with the ratchet-teeth of the bar G, and thus disengage the latternamed piece from its locked adjustment. The liberated bar G will be forced forward by the compressed spring 0' and give a starting impetus to the car toward its point of destination, the peculiar form of the crotched end d ofthe locking-bar H affording an instantaneous release of the car by its frictionless release of the pin 19. The parts will then assume the position shown in Fig. 2, the locked engagement of the car being shown in Fig. 3.

It should be explained that the relative position of the projecting pinsp, that are affixed to cars belonging to the several stations on a track-line, must bearranged to suit the construction of the locking-bars of different stations and length of the depending lugs on the rear ends of these bars, so that each car will be arrested at its own station and will freely pass all other stations on the line.

In Fig. 6 is shown a modified form of the car-arrester that is preferably used to arrest a car at the last station on the line, or the station farthest removed from the cashiers desk or bundle-table.

The car for the end station does not require any stop-pin p on its car-frame, as the front end of guard-piece o of the car-frame may be utilized for an abutment-piece, whereby the car may be arrested and held locked.

The simple device shown in Fig.6 is designed to engage the guard-piece, as will be shown.

A fixed contact-plate, L, is rigidly secured to the side of the ratchet-bar G. The guardpiece 0 collides with the edge r of this plate, and in this manner arrests the car, the recoilspring 0 absorbing the momentum of the car and neutralizing the shock of such a contact.

.In order to lock the car in place,the forward end of the locking-bar H (see Fig. 6) is pivoted at g on the bar G and has the terminal edge of its rear end cut on an incline to the perpendicular edge of the plate L.

The lower edge of the ratchet-bar G is notched at a point and in a form to correspond with the inwardlyprojected lug e", which is affixed to 'the inner surface of the locking-bar H. The lug e'iis formed with sides sloping toward a flattened narrow apex, t, and,as before intimated, the conformation of the lug e" and the receiving-notch e are of exactly similar form, to permit the lug to register with the notch when the locking-bar H is raised from its normal position.

The point of lowest depression of the locking-bar H is limited by its impinging contact with the stop-pin 22, its lower edge resting on this pin when it is allowed to hang free and assume this position by gravity of its body.

The length of the bar H andits pivoted position is such as to leave a sufficient space between the edger of the plate L and theinclined edge .9 of the free endof the latch-bar that is I a point on this bar that will be opposite the free end of the locking-bar H when the spiral spring 0 is uncompressed.

In operation the guardpiece o of the carframe will slide under the locking-bar H, having contact with the lower edge of this bar when a car runs upon the elevator at astation. This will raise the locking-bar, as it is free to move upwardly when the spring 0 is not compressed. As soon as the car strikes the plate L the locking-bar H will drop into place, and as the recoil spring 0 is compressed the ratchet bar, with its attached plate L and locking-bar H, will move rearwardly. This movement will carry the upper flattened edge, t, of the lug e beneath the flange h of the tracksection bar B, and thus lock the car in position securely until the car-is raised to the upper track to permit it to be dispatched. When this takes place, the release of the spring 0 will return the parts to normal position and the device adjusted to return to the lower track and receive its car when returned from the other end of the line.

Many slight changes might be made in the details of construction of the car-arresting device herein shown and described without departure from its spirit orexceeding its scopeas, for instance, the forked end d of the locking-bar U might be reversed in position or formed at the opposite end of the bar; or the latchhook used in form of construction of the ratchet-bar, as devised and shown in the patented cash and package carriers of Bostedo and Tho mas,previously alluded to in this specification, might be employed to act in conj unction with the locking-bar and hold the car securely. In the latter case the end cl of the locking-bar H will be made to afford a square abutment in place of the forked end, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings.

I do not therefore wish to limit myself to the exact forms herein shown of my car arresting and dispatching device, but desire a reasonable latitude to vary within the scope of my invent-ion; and,

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, with a tracksection bar carrying a ratchet-bar, a spiral spring, and a tripping-lever. for engaging the ratchetbar and holding the spiral spring compressed, of a locking-bar pivoted to the ratchet-bar and adapted to engage with one end a pin on a car and with the other end to engage the surface of the track-section bar to lock the car in position, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with an elevator earrying a track section, the latter having a notched under side, of a ratchet-bar, a spiral spring to arrest recoil, a ti-ippinglever, and a vibrating lockingbar having a pin adapted to be moved up into the notch and engage a flange on the track-section bar for holding the locking-bar elevated, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, with a track-section bar and its ratchet-bar, of a pivoted locking bar that has a crotched end and a lug or pin projecting from its other end and adapted to lock the crotched end fast to a pin on the car, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination, with a car that has a projecting pin on its frame, of the track-seetion bar of an elevator, a ratchet-bar on this track-section bar, and a locking-bar pivoted on the track-section bar, forked to straddle the projecting pin on the ear-frame and be held in locked contact by the engagement of its other end with the surface of the track-section bar, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination, with a track-section bar that may be held in alignment with the upper and lower tracks of a two-track apparatus, ofa toothed and spring-actuated ratchet bar, a tripping-lever, a latch-bar pivoted at one end, and an abutment-plate secured to the ratchet-bar, the swinging end of the latch-bar being adapted to hold the guard-piece of the frame of a car between it and the adjacent edge of the depending abutment-plate, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I havesigned this spcci fication in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HORATIO THOMA S.

\Vitnesses:

BENJAMIN F. STRAUS, L. G. BOSTEDO. 

